Door controlling mechanism



Dec. 24, 1935. c. F, SPONSLER DOOR CONTROLLING MECHANISM Filed June 5, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet l Dem 1935- c. F/SPONSLER DOOR CONTROLLING MECHANISM Filed June 5, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Dec. 24, 1935. Q SPONSLER 2,025,480

DOOR CONTROLLING MECHANI SM Filed June 5, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 DeC. 24, 1935. c F. SPQNSLER 2,025,480

DOOR CONTROLLING MECHANI SM Filed June 5, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Dec. 24, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DOOR CONTROLLING MECHANISM Charles F. Sponsler, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application June 5, 1931, Serial No. 542,448

13: Claims. (01. 268-62) This invention relates to door controlling mechanism for simultaneously opening or closing a pair of swinging or hinged doors by manually swinging one of them in the desired direction.

The principal objects of the invention are: to provide simple, reliable and efficiently operating means for communicating swinging movement to one of a pair of hinged doors when the other door is opened or closed; to provide conveniently releasable means for securely holding both doors of the pair in an exact predetermined open position; to provide a mechanism that will continue to operate satisfactorily without adjustment over a long period of service, regardless of looseness of fit of joints incident to normal wear; to provide an automatic latch which is controlled by the movement of the manually operated door so as to lock the opposite or mechanically operated door when the latter has reached closed position, the said latch being released by the opening movement of the manually operated door; to provide means permitting the manually operated door to be swung open suificiently far to allow a person to pass while the latched door remains closed, thereby insuring access to the mechanism in the event of any derangement thereof; to provide a mechanism which may be associated with the doors so as to apply the necessary forces thereto at points reducing to a minimum the reaction forces in the doors and their supporting hinges; to provide a construction of a character affording a maximum unobstructed doorway when the doors are open; to provide means for timing the relative movement of the doors so that the manually operated one opens in advance of the other and closes after it, thus avoiding any interference between the doors; to provide a mechanism that may be readily applied to any door frame of usual construction; to afford a construction preventing violent slamming of the doors by the force of the wind when the doors are allowed to stand in partly opened position; to provide a single mechanism the parts of which are adapted to be assembled so as to accommodate it for application to doors of different size; and to provide a mechanism permitting variation in the angle between the plane of either fully opened door and the plane of the door opening.

Generally stated, the principal feature of the invention consists in providing the door controlling mechanism with a plurality of door braces or stays, each cooperating with one of a pair of swinging doors and each comprising a plurality of hingedly connected members, and in operatively interposing between said hinged braces means for communicating movement from one to the other thereof, the parts being so combined and related that the movement of one door to fully opened or fully closed position automatically causes the other door to be fullyopened or closed, as the case may be, but at a different rate, one door remaining stationary in closed position during the initial opening movement of the other and reaching closed position ahead of the latter when the doors are being shut.

Another feature of the invention consists in affording means for locking one door to the door frame in closed position and in providing means governed by the movements of the other door for automatically releasing such door locking means.

A further feature of the invention consists in forming the door controlling mechanism with door stays each comprising a plurality of movably connected members, said stays being pivotally connected to the respective doors and pivotally connected to the head of the door frame with which the pair of swinging doors is associated, and in operatively connecting said stays by a system of links and levers affording lost motion between the stays, whereby one door is opened and closed by the manual movement of the other but in a manner permitting the manually operated door to be partially opened in advance of the other door and to close last.

Other features of the invention arising from advantageous forms and relations of the parts of the mechanism will hereinafter appear and be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings illustrating a preferred form of the invention:

Figure 1 is an inverted plan view of the door controlling mechanism as applied to a pair of outwardly swinging doors, the position of the various parts when the doors are fully opened being shown in full lines, the initial closing movement of the manually operated door which occurs prior to the closing movement of the other door being shown in dot and dash lines, and the manner of adjusting the parts to control the extent of opening of the doors being indicated in dotted lines at the right hand end of the View.

Figure 2 is an inverted plan view of the mechanism, showing in full lines the positions assumed by the parts when the doors are fully closed, and showing in dot and dash lines the position which the manually operated door occupies when the other door reaches fully closed position.

Figure 3 is an inverted detail elevational view of one hinged stay arm and the cooperating adjacent parts, the plane of the view being indicated by the line 33, Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4, Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a bottom detail view of the locking mechanism and adjacent parts, showing the relative positions assumed when both doors are closed. 7

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view of the parts shown in Figure 5, but illustrating the positions assumed by the parts when the door by which the locking mechanism is controlled has been'opened to the position shown in dot and dash lines in Figure 2.

Figure 7 is a detail sectional view on the line 'I-'I, Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a detail view, partly invertical section and partly in inverted elevation, of the central oscillating 'lever' and its mounting together with portions of the links connecting the lever V to the door stays.

Figure 9 is a detail. perspective view of the latch member for locking one of the doors in closed position.

Figure 10 is a detail sectional view on the line I0'I0,.Figure 5.

I Figure 11 is a detail sectional view on the line II-II, Figure. 3. a

Figure 12 isa detail view, partly in section, showing a preferred form of stay arm and connecting bracket for the manually operated door.

Figure 13 is a detail view, partly in section, showing a preferred form of stay arm and connecting bracket for the door controlled by the manually operated do0r.;

. Figure 14 is a view corresponding to Figure 3 i but illustrating a. modified form of the hinged stay arm construction. 7

Figure 15 is a'bottom view of the modified form of. the device shown in Figure .14.

Figures 16, 1'7, 18 and 19 are detail sectional views respectively taken on the lines I6--'I6,

III'I, I8-I8 and I9--I9,.Figure 14.

In the drawings I and 2 respectively are swinging doors each of. which is connected to the door frame by hinges 3. Manual operation of the door I controls the .door 2 through the instrumentality of the 'door controlling mechanism by which both doors are operatively connected.

. The operating parts of the door controlling mechanism are supported from a stationary plate or bracket 4 whichis secured by screws or other suitable means to the underside of the lintel 5 of the door frame in the middle of the doorway. Rigidly secured to the supporting plate 4 are three downwardly extending spaced studs or pintles 6, I and 8 respectively, the intermediate pintle Soccupying a fixed position in the exact centerof the door opening for all applications of the mechanism to any pair of hingedrdoors, and the positions of the pintles I and 8 being dictated by variations in the width of the door opening and bythe angle of rotation it'is desired the door shall have before coming to rest in fully open position. As clearly shown in Figures 1, 2, 5 and 6,

the supporting plate 4 is provided at its ends with a serieszof openings 9 for receiving the pivot pins 1 and 8, thus. permitting the latter to be position'ed at various distances from the central stud be adjusted as required to suit various widths of door openings and such change in location of these pivot studs is also one of the adjustments controlling the angle of outward rotation of the door. This latter adjustment, as applied to door 5 2, is illustrated in dotted lines in Figure 1.

The doors I and 2 are provided with folding stays II and I2 respectively which are generally similar although differing somewhat in detail. Each stay is hinged near its center of length, as 10 indicated M13, and is pivotally connected at its outer end, at I4, to a bracket I5 rigidly secured to the inner face of the neighboring door. The brackets I5 are preferably alike and may advantageously be made of channel form. The jointed l5 stay II adjacent the door I is pivotally mounted at its inner end upon the downwardly projecting pintle or stud I, while the brace or stay I2 for the door 2 is similarly pivotally mounted at its inner end upon the stud 8, the stays being free to ro- 2O tate at their outer ends on the pivots I l carried by the door brackets and being free to rotate'at their inner ends on the respective pintles. I and 8 projecting downwardly from the supporting plate 4. Each of the stays II and I2 comprises a 25 link member and a lever member, the link member being pivotally connected to the door and the lever member being pivotally mounted upon the appropriate stud I or 8 as the case may be. The

link members preferably are of channel cross sec- 30.

bers beyond the hingepoint I3, as indicated at 20 in Figures 1, 3 and 4. These stops respectively limit the-rotation of the arms or links I6 and I8 around their pivotal points I4 when the doors have reached the full open -position. The parts are so related that when the stop 28 on the lever 40 member I! engages with the link I6, the hinge point I3 has passed beyond. the straight line extending from the pivot stud I to the pivot point I4 on the door I, thus causing the hinged stay I I to act as a compression strut or brace between the door I and the door frame and thereby serving to hold the door open against any force tending to accidentally move it towards closed position. The stop 20 carried by the lever member I9 of the stay I2 cooperating with the other door acts in a similar manner to cause the jointed stay I2 to operate as a brace or strut for preventing an accidental closing movement of the door 2. Springs 2 I which are respectively connected to the link members I6 and I8 and to the door brackets 7 I5 adjacent thereto function, as the-doors approach full open position, constantly to exert'upon the links to which they are connected force necessary to carry the hinge points I3 of'the door stays beyond the straight line connecting pivotal points at the ends of the stays and serve to maintain the members of the stays II and I2 in posi tive strut relation until rotated by a greater outside force overcoming the action of the springs. The tension springs acting between the stay arms and the door'brackets snap the stays independently into final strut position since there is no rigid connection between the stays in this position of the parts. The outer end of the link or arm I6 may advantageously be flattened or formed eccentric to the pivot pin I4, as indicated at 22 in Fig. 12; and the outer end of the link It may likewise be flattened or formed eccentric to its pivot pin, as indicated at 23 in Fig. 13. The outer ends of the linksf'IIiand I81 thus provide stops which by engaging with the respectively neighboring door brackets I 5 prevent these parts from collapsing so as to permit the springs to become disassembled when the device is not mounted on the doors.

As a convenient means for manually releasing the stay I I of the door I so as to permit said door to be closed, a flexible pull, such as a chain or cord 24, is preferably employed (see Fig. l). The flexible pull member is attached at one end to the stay arm I6 between the pivotal points I3 and I4 of the latter, then passes horizontally over a pulley 25 mounted on the inside of the door I and then hangs vertically downward for a distance enabling it to be conveniently grasped by the operator. By pulling upon the flexible member 24 the spring 2I holding the brace I I in strut position is overcome and the hinge joint I 3 of the brace is shifted toward the door, thus permitting the stay H to fold when a manual force is applied to the door I to close the latter. As will hereinafter appear, the folding brace I2 for the door 2 is automatically released as the door I is moved towards closed position.

The lever member ll of the folding stay II is of bell crank form, its shorter arm 26 preferably being fashioned as a plate which is'rigidly secured to the longer arm. The lever I9 of the folding stay I2 for the door 2 likewise is in effect a bell crank lever, but the construction is such that a certain amount of slack or lost motion is provided between the two arms of the lever. This is preferably accomplished by forming the shorter arm of the lever I9 as a plate or quadrant 27 which is pivotally mounted on the stud 8 and is provided with a tongue or yoke 28 spaced from the body of the plate so as to form an elongated slot through which the longer arm ofthe lever I 9 passes. The outer end of the slot is closed, preferably by a bolt 29, to form a stop for limiting the lost motion between the arms of the lever I9 to a predetermined amount in one direction. The extent of lost motion in the other direction is controlled by the stop 30 formed by the junction of the yoke 28 with the body of the plate forming the short arm of the lever I9. As will be readily understood, after the shorter arm or quadrant 21 of the lever I 9 has rotated in either direction a sufficient amount to bring one or the other of the stops 29 and 30 into contact with the longer arm of the lever both arms rotate together upon the pivotal stud 8.

To transmit the manually applied forces from the door I to the door 2, both in opening and closing the doors, the folding stays II and I2 are operatively connected by an intervening link and lever system comprising an oscillating lever 3I pivotally mounted at the center upon the central stud or pintle 6 and a plurality of links 32 respectively connecting the shorter arms of the levers I1 and I9 to said lever 3|. The inner ends of the links 32 are respectively pivoted at 33 to the opposite ends of the oscillating lever 3| and are respectively pivoted to the shorter arms 26 and 21 of the lever members of the door stays, as indicated at 34. The links 32 are preferably formed as a pair of plates receiving between them the shorter arms 26 and 2'1 of the respective lever members of the folding struts. Each of the link members 32 is provided towards one end with a series of holes 35, the links being so positioned during the assembly of the mechanism that the series of holes for the link 32 adjacent the door I may receive'the, pivot pin 33, while the series of holes in the link nearer the door 2 may receive the pivot pin 34 associated with the oscillating quadrant 21. The series of pivot pin openings 35 in the links 32, in conjunction with the series of openings 9 in the supporting plate or bracket 4, provides means for adjusting the mechanism to various widths of door openings and also enables the extent of angular opening movement of the doors to be controlled. If, for example, the stud 8 is moved to an opening 9 which is two holes nearer the door jamb to which the door 2 is hinged and the pin 33 farthest from the door 2 is positioned two holes nearer the free end of the link 32 with which it cooperates, and the door bracket I5 is shifted correspondingly nearer the hinged side of the door, the door 2 will assume the more widely opened position illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. By corresponding adjustments the extent of angular opening movement of the door Imay also be varied.

The door controlling mechanism preferably embodies means for automatically looking the door 2 in closed position and for automatically releasing said door from such locking means when the door I is manually opened a sufficient distance. For this purpose a hook-shaped latch 36 is pivotally mounted at 31 on the door bracket I5 carried by the door 2. The adjacent spring 2I attached to the link I8 of the folding brace I2 is connected to the latch 36 at 38 to yieldingly hold the latch in door locking relation to the bracket I5 upon which it is mounted. As is shown in Figure 5, when the door 2 is fully closed the latch 36 hooks around the downwardly projecting stud 8 carried by the stationary supporting plate 4 secured to the door jamb thus locking the door 2. During the closing movement of the door the inclined or cam surface 39 of the latch cooperates with the stud 8 so as to cause the latch to perform the slight unlocking rotation necessary to allow it to clear the stud before moving to locked position. To effect the auto matic release of the latch 36 the pivoted quadrant 21 forming the shorter arm of the lever I9 is provided with a vertically extending lug or post 49 which, during the initial opening movement of the door I presses outwardly against the extended end or finger M of the latch and thereby causes the latter to perform an unlocking rotation against the tension of the spring 2| acting upon it. The hooked end of the latch 35 is thus disengaged from the stationary stud 9 and the door 2 is unlocked.

The operation of the device is very simple. Assuming both doors to be closed, the operator merely pulls upon the door I so as to move it to full open position. The force manually applied to the door I to open it is communicated to the door 2, through the link I6 to the bell crank lever I1, and thence to the adjacent link 32 pivotally connected to the central oscillating lever 3|. The ensuing rotation of the lever 3I upon its pintle 6 causes the other link 32 to impart a rotary movement to the quadrant 21 pivotally mounted on the stud 8. Because of the lost motion between the quadrant 21 and the longer arm of the lever I9, the initial rotation of the quadrant upon the stationary stud 8 effects no movement of the door 2. By this initial rotation of the quadrant, however, the post or finger 4G is caused to press against the extension or tail 4| of' the latch 36 and thus rotate the latch out of locking engagement with the stationary stud 8. When the door opening rotation of the quadrant 21 has taken up all the lost motion between: the quadrantand the'l'onger arm of the lever I9 the latter rotates upon the stud 8 and thereby communicates motion to the link I8 to which it is pivotally connected, thereby forcing the door 2 to open position. When in full open position, as has been heretoforepointed out, the hinge points I3 of the folding. stays II and. I2

have passed to the inside of the line connecting the end pivots of the respective stays, and the doors are therefore prevented from accidentally swinging toward closed position. In closing the doors the operator applies tension to the flexible pull .24 to shift the position of the hinge point I3 of the folding stay. II to door releasing position, as heretofore described; By then pushing inwardly upon the door I force is transmitted from the latter to the link I6. and thence to the bell crank I'I, thereby causing the adjacent. link 32 to push upon the oscillating lever 3I and effect a rotation of the latter. This rotation of the lever 3| is communicated to the quadrant 21 through the intervening link 32 and causes the latter to rotate until the stop 30 thereof comes into contact with the long arm of the lever I9. As soon as this occurs the long arm of the lever I9 rotates upon the stud 8 and shifts the hinge point I3 of the folding stay I2 toward the door 2 and across the line connecting the stud 8 with l the pivot pin I4 at the outer end of the folding stay I2. The continued rotation of the lever When both doors are braced open the long arm of the lever I9 forming a part of the folding brace I2'for the door 2 is not in contact either with the stop .29 or with the stop 30 of the quadrant 21. The clearance or lost motion thus. afforded avoids thenecessity of providing or maintaining the nice adjustment of parts that would otherwise be required to bring both folding stay arms H and I2 into strut position at exactly the same time. The lost motion in the mechanism also enters into the action of the device as the door I. reaches closing position. Upon comparing Figure 1 with Figure 2'it will be noted that in closing the doors the lever ll of the folding brace for the door I rotates through a greater angle than the long arm of the lever I9 of the folding brace I2 for the door 2. This is effected by locating the hinge point I3 of the stay .II at a distance from the pintle 'I which is somewhat less than the distance between the pintle 8 and the hinge point I3 of the folding stay I2for the door 2. The effect of this difference is to make the closing action of the door 2 faster than that of the door I, so that door 2 is fully closed before door I closes. The point at which the door 2' reaches full closed position corresponds to the position of the parts when the pin 34: connecting the link 32 to the lever I'I comes into alinement with. the stationary stud I and thepivot'pin 33 which is at the end of the oscillating lever 3 I nearer the door I. It will be appreciated that as the door I continues its closing movement after the door 2:

has reached full closed position, a slight reverse movement occurs in the links-32, the oscillating lever 3I and in the quadrant member 21, but

' due to the lost motion between the quadrant and heretofore described except that the members forming the hinged door stays are somewhat dif 'fe'rently constructeduOnly the-door stay I l aace-am immediately adjacent. thedoor I is illustrated, but it will be; understood that the folding stay forthe door 2. may 'be- 01 a similar nature. As in the construction heretofore described the. stay or brace IIa consists of a link member IGaand a 5 lever member: IIa. which are hinged. togetherby a boltJI3 whichv passes through a. short sleeve 42 lying: between oppositely disposed washers 43 through which the bolt also extends. The sleeve or spacer 42? passes through both of the members I6a. and Ila of the brace Ila and is of such length that the washers are prevented from binding against saidmembers, thus permitting them to hinge freely. The link member I6a of the brace is: of angle form in cross-section adjacent the hinge point I3 and is of channelform adjacent. the door.. The lever member I'Ia is also of angle form adjacent the hinge point I3, the. portions of angle section being nested together as well illustrated in Figure 16. The

member I'Ia extends beyond the hinge point I3 toward the door I: so that its vertical leg cooperates with the vertical leg of the member I6a to form a stopfor limiting rotation of the parts when the members of the stay Ila are in the strut position. To prevent the members I61; and

. I'Ia from buckling vertically at the hinge point when the stay II-a is operating to maintain the door in open position, a short sleeve 44 and washer 45 are firmly secured to the link IBaby a rivet 48,. the space'between. the washer 45 and the adjacent leg of the ling. IIIia being suflicient to receive the outer end portion 41 of the horizontal leg of the lever member He. In ordinary operation there is no contact between the outer end of the lever arm IIa and the washer 45, but in case of unusual compression being applied to the brace Ila, buckling out of the horizontal plane is prevented by contact with the washer.

members: I6aand II'a' ofthe folding brace occupy the. relativepositionsthey assume when" the door I- is closed, the lever member I'Ia is notched or recessed as indicated at" 48'. Other features of construction, being: like those heretofore described have been. indicated by corresponding reference: numerals.

.I claim; '7 f V 1. 'A door controlling mechanism for connectinga: pair of swingingv doors to cause one door to 50 operate the other, said mechanism involving a plurality of hinged door stays each pivotally connected to one of the. doors and each comprising a link member'and. a lever member; each of said lever members being'adapted. to'be pivotally, mounted on: the head of the door frame, said pivotal points of the lever members being in spaced. relation, an oscillating lever pivotally mounted on the header the door frame, and

links movablyi connected to said oscillating lever on. opposite: sides of the pivotal pointfof the latter, said links being respectively connected to said lever members of. said door stays.

2.. A. door controlling mechanism for connecting a. pair of swinging doors to. cause one door to operate. the: other, said mechanism involving a plurality of door stays. each comprising a plurality of'pi'votally connected members, one of the members of each stay'being pivotally connected to. the door adjacent thereto, means for opera- 7 tively connecting said stays-to cause one'of them when actuated by a. swinging. movement of the door adjacent thereto to operate the other stay to effect-a swinging movement of the other door,

stop means for eachof said. staysito limit relative movement of said pivotally connected stay members in one direction when said stay members act as struts to maintain the doors in open position, yielding means for maintaining said stays in strut position, and means for releasing one of said stays from the control of the said yielding means cooperating therewith to permit a closing movement of the adjacent door.

3. A door controlling mechanism for connecting a pair of swinging doors to cause one door to operate the other, said mechanism involving a plurality of door stays each comprising a plurality of pivotally connected members, one of the members of each stay being pivotally connected to the door adjacent thereto, means for operatively connecting said stays to cause one of them to operate the other, stop means respectively associated with said stays for limiting relative movement of said pivotally connected stay members in one direction when said stay members are in position for preventing accidental closing of the doors, means associated with said stays for yield ingly opposing relative movement of said pivotally connected stay members in the other direction when said stay members are in position for maintaining the doors in open position, and means for releasing one of said stays from the control of the said yielding means cooperating therewith, said means for operatively connecting said stays including means for automatically releasing one of said stays from the control of the said yielding means cooperating therewith.

4. A door controlling mechanism for connecting a pair of swinging doors to cause one door to operate the other, said mechanism involving a plurality of hinged devices respectively pivoted to the doors and each comprising a link member and a bell crank lever, said levers being mounted on spaced stationary pivots and the arms of one of said levers having a lost motion connection between them, and means for operatively connecting said levers.

5. A door controlling mechanism for connecting a pair of swinging doors to cause one door to operate the other, said mechanism involving a plurality of hinged door stays respectively pivoted to the doors and each including a pivotally mounted lever member, the points of pivotal mounting of said lever members being stationary and spaced from each other, means for operatively connecting said lever members to permit one of said stay devices to operate the other stay device, means cooperating with and movable with respect to the door to which said last named stay device is pivotally connected for locking said last named door in closed position, and means movable by one of said staying devices upon an opening movement of the other door for releasing said locking means to permit an opening movement of the door upon which said locking means is mounted.

6. A door controlling mechanism for connecting a pair of swinging doors to cause one door to operate the other, said mechanism involving a plurality of links eachpivotally connected to one of said doors, a plurality of levers each pivotally connected to one of said links, each of said levers being pivotally mounted with their pivotal points in spaced relation, a pivotally mounted oscillating lever, the pivotal point of said oscillating lever being spaced from the pivotal points of the levers first named, and a plurality of link devices respectively connecting each of said first named levers to said oscillating lever, the pivotal points of said several levers being arranged in the form of a triangle and each of said link devices being pivotally connected to said oscillating lever with their points of pivotal connection disposed in spaced relation.

7. A door controlling mechanism for connecting a pair of swinging doors to cause one door to operate the other, said mechanism involving a plurality of links each pivotally connected to one of said doors, a plurality of bell crank levers each having a fixed pivotal point and each being pivotally connected to one of said links, the shorter arm of one of said bell crank levers having a lost motion connection with the longer arm of its lever, and means for operatively connecting said bell crank levers to cause them to rotate in opposite directions when the link connected to one of them is actuated by the movement of the adjacent door.

8. A door controlling mechanism for connecting a pair of swinging doors, said mechanism including means for preventing accidental closing of said doors involving a plurality of door stay devices each movably connected to one of the doors, each of said stay devices constituting means for independently bracing in fixed open position the door with which it is associated, means operatively associated with each stay device causing it to assume bracing position and lost motion means for operatively connecting said stay devices, one of said stay devices being adapted to actuate said lost motion means to thereby actuate the other stay device when force is applied to one door, and said lost motion means permitting an initial opening movement of one 01' said doors while the other door remains stationary.

9. A door controlling mechanism for connecting a pair of swinging doors to cause one door to operate the other, said mechanism including a plurality of door staying devices each movably connected to one of said doors, each of said staying devices involving a plurality of pivotally connected members constituting independent means for bracing its associated door in open position, means for causing each staying device to assume bracing position, means operatively interposed between said staying devices for causing one of said devices to actuate the other, said last named means involving a plurality of pivoted members providing a lost motion connection between said door staying devices permitting one of said doors to execute initial opening and closing movements while the other door remains stationary, and means fixed with respect to the door frame affording an immovable pivotal support for one end of one of said first named members.

10. A door controlling mechanism for connecting a pair of swinging doors to cause one door to operate the other, said mechanism involving a plurality of relatively movable members constituting a lost motion connection between the doors permitting one of said doors to execute an initial swinging movement while the other door remains stationary, said members including a plurality of links and a plurality of levers and constituting means adapted to be actuated by one door to cause the other door to open last and close first, and said means being so correlated as to constitute means for positively preventing the first named door from closing before the last named door has reached its fully closed position.

11. A door controlling mechanism for connecting a pair of swinging doors to cause one door to operate the other, said mechanism involving a plurality of relatively movable members constituting a lost motion connection between thedoors permitting one of said doors to execute an :initial swinging movement while the other door remains stationary, said members including a plurality of links anda pluralityoi levers and constituting means adapted to be actuated by one door to cause the other door to open last and close first, and also constituting means .for preventing the first named door from being closed before the last named door has reached full closed position, means for independently locking the last named door, and means associated with and actuated by said movable members'for shifting said locking means to door releasing position after the first named door has been partially opened.

12. A door controlling mechanism to! connecting a pair of swinging doors to cause one doorto operate the other, said mechanism involving :a plurality of hinged-devices each pivotally connected to one of said doors, means for operatively connecting said hinged devices to cause :one to operate the other upon a swinging movement of one 01' said doors, and means for locking one of said .doors :in closed position; one of the pivotally hinged devices being provided with means .actu-' ated upon an :opening movement of one door to release said locking means. 13. .A door controlling mechanism for connecting .a pairof swinging doors to cause one door to operate the other, said mechanism involving a plurality of links each movably connected to one of said doors, .a plurality of levers respectively 10 connected to said doors by said links, and a plurality of spaced pivots fixed with respect to the door frame and respectively forming pivotal mountings for said levers, and means for causing one of said levers when moved by the door to 15 which it is connected to actuate the other lever, said means movably connecting said levers and V constituting allost motion connection between said levers enabling one of said levers to be actuated by the door to which it is connected while 20 the other door remains stationary.

CHARLES F. SPONSLER. 

